1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of portable battery-operated electronic devices, and in particular, by way of example but not limitation, to battery monitoring and proximity-based recharge notification for portable battery-operated electronic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable battery-operated electronic devices have become an increasingly important part of our modern technological society. No longer are these devices considered a luxury, available only to the rich and affluent. Rather, as people become more mobile through their jobs, recreational activities and lifestyle choices, they have become increasingly reliant upon the convenience and services that portable electronic devices offer. Moreover, with the advances in semiconductor technology and integrated circuit miniaturization, portable electronic devices have become smaller, lighter and increasingly more sophisticated. These aspects of portable electronic devices have enabled users to fully exploit technological advances in a manner and under circumstances that would be impossible using conventional stationary systems. When these portable electronic devices incorporate communication capabilities, such as cellular radio, the portable electronic device becomes even more advantageous. Many users, in fact, rely upon their portable electronic device as their sole means of communication while they are traveling or visiting customers. Many users also appreciate the enhanced security provided by the ability to contact family, friends or emergency services from remote locations. With these advantages, it is no wonder that portable electronic devices have experienced an almost exponential increase in demand and have become critical to the lives and livelihood of many individuals.
One of the problems experienced with portable electronic devices, however, is that these small hand-held devices are powered by small, rechargeable batteries that normally provide a limited number of hours of active service. Once the batteries are discharged below a certain level, the portable electronic device will cease to function. The battery or batteries will then need to be recharged before the user may utilize the functions and services of the portable electronic device. Because the battery may take an hour or more to recharge using conventional charging systems, this downtime could be extremely inconvenient and especially problematic during an emergency. Moreover, in many cases, the user may not discover the low battery condition until it would be extremely inconvenient or even impossible to recharge the battery, such as when the user needs to make an important communication, accomplish an important task, or when a charging unit is not readily available.
Existing approaches have attempted to alleviate these problems by warning the user of a low battery condition in time for the user to take appropriate action. These approaches utilize circuitry which continuously monitors the battery and notifies the user when the remaining battery capacity falls below a predetermined level. The methods employed to notify the user of the low battery condition may include acoustical indications, textual or graphical indications on the display or flashing LED's. After receiving this notification, the user then has the responsibility to place the battery in a charging unit before the battery is depleted.
The problem with this approach is that the user will typically receive the low battery notification while the user is located away from the charging unit (e.g., while the user is traveling or at a customer's location). By the time the user returns to the location of the charging unit(e.g., home or office), it is likely that the user has forgotten about the low battery notification received earlier. With existing approaches, it is likely that the user will not be reminded of the low battery condition until the user attempts to use the device. At this point, it may no longer be convenient or possible to connect the battery to the charging unit because either the user lacks the time or a charging unit is not readily available. As a result, the user is likely to be on the road with a depleted or nearly depleted battery. Therefore, there exists a need to notify the user of a low battery condition in a manner that increases the likelihood that the battery can and will be recharged.